


Ignite, or Extinguish?

by JeevasManXIII



Category: Samurai Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Office, Alternate Universe - Writing & Publishing, Hanbei and Mitsunari get along pretty well, Hanbei smiles and laughs a lot, He's kind of rude, Kanbei is bad at socializing, M/M, Multi, Or Does It, the title makes no sense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-06 18:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3143864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeevasManXIII/pseuds/JeevasManXIII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fated first meeting in which something is sparked. Will Kanbei keep it burning?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sparks

Six months into his new job found Kanbei Kuroda frequenting the office building’s coffee place. He didn’t normally drink the beverage, but had come to enjoy it after having to take orders for his co-workers every day. He soon learned that there were seasonal specials, and each time the special changed, his coworkers seemed to want the new flavors.

One day, the usual barista that took Kanbei’s orders was nowhere to be seen. Without letting concern show, he curiously looked around for her. He wasn’t exactly fond of her (particularly her overly-caring demeanor), because she treated all of her patrons like her own children, even when she wasn’t far off from being a child herself. Kanbei’s boss seemed especially fond of the barista though, as he always insisted that he go to the cafe in place of his secretary, Mitsunari. The latter tended to scold him for his unprofessional behavior, and always passed their boss’s order onto Kanbei.

The usual barista being gone wasn’t the only thing out of place however, the ordering counter was currently unmanned too. Although the lineup of customers wasn’t much, they all grew visibly angrier with each passing second. But just when everyone seemed to be out of patience, the door to the kitchen swung open, and a boy who couldn’t have been older than sixteen stepped out.

He was tying the strings of his apron swiftly, and Kanbei instinctively noticed a few things about the boy; how flushed his face was, how the boy’s dark hair stuck out in every direction, and that his pale skin was glistening with sweat. Kanbei mentally chastised himself for taking note of such suggestive things, and wondered if his boss’s influence had gotten to him.

Frowning, he decided to observe how the boy handled the rush-hour, and so, he turned his attention to the newcomer once again.

“I’m terribly sorry for the wait! I hope it wasn’t too bad.” The boy said cheerfully.

Somehow, he happened to speak at the exact same time in which Kanbei had focused on him, almost as if he had been waiting for the man’s attention. Kanbei wrote it off as mere coincidence, and continued to watch the boy from the table he was seated at.

A bright smile lit his youthful features, and the women waiting in front quickly lost all anger and began fawning over the boy. The rest of the customers eventually warmed up as well, chatting happily amongst themselves.

Soon enough, the line grew shorter and the noise died down. Kanbei could even hear the distant sounds of music from a radio, and his foot involuntarily started tapping to the calming tune as the last few customers accepted their orders.

Kanbei then stood from his seat, pushed it in, and strode towards the counter. The boy was watching his every step, the smile from before was long gone though, and in it’s place was an expression of deep thought. As Kanbei stepped in front of him, the boy quickly snapped from his reverie, and greeted him,

“Hello, what can I do for you today, sir?” His lips were already forming one of those bright smiles, and he seemed to expect one in return. Kanbei, however, was not one for simple gestures; he wasn’t even the type to wave "hello" to co-workers when he saw them outside of work. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have seen how the boy’s smile momentarily fell after realizing it had no effect on Kanbei, for just as quickly as it had gone, his expression lit up again, flashing his teeth for the world to see.

Kanbei ignored his greeting, and opened his mouth to speak,

“Two venti pumpkin spice lattes, a grande peppermint mocha, and a tall black tea with cream and no sugar.” He gave his order so precisely that he almost seemed robotic. The boy snickered as he punched in the order.

“Well rehearsed, huh?” He teased. His charming smile fell again at the glare Kanbei shot him, but he was quick to recover, smiling again as he counted up the total cost. As Kanbei handed the cash to the boy, he couldn’t help noticing how frail his hands looked. Their fingers momentarily brushed, and the boy’s face turned pink for a moment, but he snickered again as Kanbei’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“What’s your name, sir?” The boy asked. It wasn’t an unusual inquiry for a barista, but there was no one but the two of them present, so calling out his name to alert him to a finished order was pointless.  

“It’s Kuroda.” He replied, giving his last name instead. Perhaps he was being stingy, but he preferred to keep his name to himself if he could help it. The boy seemed to be one who would laugh at the way the name didn’t suit Kanbei.    

Despite the lack of other customers, Kanbei quickly shuffled over to the waiting counter.

The wait wasn’t long, however, as the boy worked quite fast. When he got to making the tea, he paused, glancing up at Kanbei. He seemed to ponder something for a moment before shaking his head and resuming his work. Kanbei wondered what that was all about, but his curiosity was soon sated as the boy spoke up,

“...I feel like we’ve met before… Have we?” He slowly asked, putting the lid on the tea. Kanbei’s brow quirked in momentary question, but he refused to glance at the boy to see his expression- in case it was one of those irritating and unnecessary smiles.  

“And where would we have in common to meet?” Kanbei said impolitely, his tone hinting at their _obvious_ age difference.

The boy erupted in a fit of laughter, but at the confused look Kanbei gave him, his laughing fit was cut short and he cleared his throat to explain,

“Well, unless you’re older than you look, I’m sure there are many places we have in common. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” He said, his joyful tone turned somber. Kanbei spoke again after a few moments of silence, being cautious of the change in tone.

“I am twenty-three. How old did you think I was?”  

The boy slowly smiled at that, but it was a smile different from the rest, it was smaller and more honest.

“At the most, you look to be in your thirties. Guess I was a _little_ off. How old do you think I look? Oh and, I’m twenty-five by the way.” As he gave his age, Kanbei’s eyes slightly widened in shock, this boy, or rather, _man_ , looked to be _much_ younger, it was unthinkable that he could be older than Kanbei himself, even if it were only by a mere two years.

‘“You are a _few_ years older than I thought you were.” Was Kanbei’s curt reply, he happened to be a little embarrassed by his inaccurate assumption.

“How much is a ‘ _few years_ ’?” The man asked, one of his eyebrows was raised in question. Kanbei avoided making direct eye contact, his face heating up as he muttered,

“I thought you were sixteen.”

Kanbei’s eyes cautiously glanced over _after_ he spoke, and the man was smiling again, but this time, the look in his eyes was far off and sad.

“That young, huh? Well, I suppose I _am_ frail enough to look like a kid, after all.” His tone turned sad again, but he quickly laughed to cover it up.

“I’d better not take up anymore of your time, lunch break is almost over, right? And you don’t want these drinks to get cold.”  And with that, the man handed Kanbei a cup holder with the drinks and gave a small wave.

“I’ll be off then. Thank you, Hanbei.” Kanbei held the cup holder with one hand, and walked towards the door. Before he could step out, however, a surprised voice called after him,

“How did you know my name?”

The man was leaning over the counter, watching Kanbei with a confused look on his face, the sadness of his former expression long gone.

“Your name tag.” Kanbei replied simply, finally leaving the cafe. He left behind an embarrassingly flushed and giddy Hanbei, who was trying not to chase after his intriguing customer.

As he got into the elevator, Kanbei looked down at the steaming drinks and noticed something odd about the smallest one. There were markings on it. As Kanbei got a closer look, he saw a smiley face that vaguely resembled someone familiar and numbers written under the words “have a good day!”.

Kanbei couldn’t help but chuckle and smile fondly, but that warm feeling he had went away as he suddenly realized that there was no possible way for Hanbei to have actually known which drink had been for him, or if he had even ordered himself one.

Chuckling again, Kanbei decided he would have to ask around and see if anyone knew about this new and mysterious barista.  

He certainly wanted to know more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I didn't make their personalities too weird, I've been playing through events with them in Chronicle to make sure they're not that OOC, but one can never be sure.
> 
> I have many ideas(they were even hinted at~) that I want to explore. When it comes to these two, I'm always looking for new situations to put them in to see how they'd act. This is my first KanHan work ever posted, but I have numerous more that I just need to seriously polish up before I even think of sharing them.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading =w=


	2. Kindling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time flies and the idiot trio strikes.

The afternoon sun was hidden behind clouds, and it was dark.

In a humble apartment down a lonely street, Hanbei Takenaka sat up in bed. Before his consciousness fully roused, he was already dreading the impending beeping that would start any minute. However, Hanbei was too lazy to reach over and shut off the alarm. 

He shivered, pulling the blankets back over his shoulders. He convinced himself that he’d only stay in bed until he was warm. If he missed the bus again, he would be late for work a second time, and Nene would probably make him sit an extra half hour to be lectured.

Groaning, Hanbei rolled over and buried his face into his pillow. Memories of the previous day passed through his mind, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Kuroda. _Kanbei Kuroda._

The man had certainly piqued his interest, and Hanbei found himself immediately captivated by the stern and mysterious figure. He had asked Nene about “the pale broody guy” after she finished her lecture the previous night, and Nene told him what she knew about Kanbei, which wasn’t actually much. But it had explained why he recognized him.

As it was, Hanbei currently worked with Kanbei’s boss, Hideyoshi, on different projects. The company was a publishing house, and although Hanbei was a freelance writer, Hideyoshi had employed him a while back to do specific research for the company’s newspaper branch, along with other odd jobs that were a little beyond his actual employees’ capabilities.

The reason Hanbei had seen Kanbei before, was a few months ago when there had been a large meeting within the company, Hanbei had been brought in and introduced to the main staff. Hideyoshi briefly introduced the people working directly under him, and also welcomed in a new employee.  

That new employee was none other than Kanbei Kuroda. If Hanbei remembered correctly, Kanbei hadn’t seem very interested in much at the time, so he only hoped that their second meeting had changed that.

Infact, he expected it to. Given how their conversation had turned _slightly_ personal, and with the brief smile he’d seen across Kanbei’s lips as he walked out, Hanbei could definitely expect to see more of his mystery man.

He smiled again to himself as he thought of ways to get to know Kanbei better, but, just as his thoughts were getting good, that annoying beeping finally started.

Groaning again, Hanbei reached his arm out to grab the offending alarm. His hand finally brushed over it, and he swiftly switched it off without so much as glancing at it. Before his desire to stay in bed really hit him full force, Hanbei sat up and swung his legs over onto the floor.

He had moved too fast.

His head felt like it was spinning, and something in his throat ached.

Hanbei ended up coughing a few times before he finally sprung to his feet, and crossed the room to his closet. Two of his cats were already rubbing their furry bodies against his legs. Hanbei leaned down to pet them both, and then he stood back up to pull open the closet.

He grabbed the jacket he wanted from off its hanger, and turned to look at the pile of clothes on his floor sheepishly. Hanbei remembered how he’d lazily thrown them there a few days prior. While letting out a small laugh, he knelt down to rummage through the pile until he had found his outfit for the day. He glanced at the clock then, and felt his stomach start aching with stress as he realized ten minutes had passed. He still needed to shower and feed the cats.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t miss the lunch hour.

…………

After Hanbei barely made it through the cafe’s back door on time for his shift to start, he was met with a loud racket coming from the kitchen. He immediately went on alert.

The previous person working should have already left, so Hanbei knew it had to be someone else.

Waiting until his breathing evened out, he cautiously crept towards the source of the sound. Upon turning the corner, he realized with immense relief that it was only Hideyoshi’s idiot trio. (One of the three he knew was smarter than the other two, but sometimes he wasn’t so sure.)

It just _had_ to be them; Nene would definitely hear about his tardiness, as they were the closest to her. Especially _Kiyomasa_ , who obviously held feelings for her. It was rather bittersweet, considering his boss had already caught her attention.

With a sigh, Hanbei observed their actions closely.

The three paid him no mind as they loudly griped at each other, two of them being particularly heated. Kiyomasa and Masanori, he recalled, nearly always held the same side of the group’s arguments, so it was odd seeing them go at it. Mitsunari didn’t seem too involved either, he commented here and there, but that was all.

The two engrossed in a debate paid him no mind as he entered the kitchen, Mitsunari was the only one to glance up. They nodded at each other in greeting, and Mitsunari waved Hanbei over to where he sat.

“Kiyomasa, Masanori, you remember Mr. Takenaka, don’t you?” Mitsunari asked loud enough to get their attention. He gestured to Hanbei, who had sat down beside him. Kiyomasa and Masanori’s argument came to a sudden halt, and they both turned their attention to him.

Kiyomasa nodded at Hanbei, while Masanori merely scratched his head and squinted his eyes as he strained to remember.  

They all waited patiently, until finally,

“Oh! He’s that guy Hideyoshi hired! He works with Miss Nene too, right?” Masanori’s voice was loud, but it was nothing they weren’t used to.

“Yup, that’s me. I’m honored that you remembered.” Hanbei said, smiling. Mitsunari caught the sarcastic tone in his voice, and couldn’t help chuckling. Kiyomasa just sighed, patting an oblivious Masanori on the shoulder.

“Would you mind fixing us up a few drinks before the lunch rush?” Kiyomasa asked, nodding in the direction of the door to the store front.

Hanbei mentally groaned, not wanting to stand up from his comfortable seat. Even though he should be getting ready for work, he really didn’t feel like it.

It must have shown on his face, because to Hanbei’s immediate joy, Mitsunari stood up and said,

“I’ll do it. What would you both like?” His eyes that were usually sharp, glanced upon Hanbei with a soft and caring glint to them. Although he hadn’t liked Hanbei being brought in to do work for Hideyoshi, he soon learned to respect the former’s talents, and he started being nice in his own way, especially after he had read some of Hanbei’s works.

“Soda.” Masanori half-heartedly mumbled, occupied with something on his phone. His fingers rapidly, almost angrily, tapped at the screen.

“Just black coffee, with a little sugar.” Kiyomasa requested, looking suspiciously between Mitsunari and Hanbei. The latter only shrugged, trying not to laugh.

Mitsunari walked towards the door, and turned over his shoulder to say something, but then Masanori piped up,

“Hey, aren’t you waiting for your boyfriend?” He had glanced up from his phone, and was glaring at Mitsunari in question.

Mitsunari nearly tripped, sputtered, and his face turned bright red. He awkwardly fled through the door to the main room, and Hanbei could hear his soft murmur of “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” before he was out of sight.

The remaining men sat quietly for what seemed to be forever, and it was in that stretch of time that Hanbei realized.

“What are the three of you doing here? Don’t you have work?” He asked, at a complete loss. He honestly had no idea as to why those three weren’t in the office section, and were instead lounging inside the cafe’s backroom, especially at this hour. It was the busiest time of week, afterall.

“Hideyoshi asked us to wait here because we’re meeting with someone that he doesn’t want everyone knowing about.” Kiyomasa explained.

“He’s being hired the same way as you, but for different work.” Mitsunari, who had finally come back, spoke. His expression became one of pride, and he added, “I scouted him myself.”

Hanbei nodded, thinking the information over.

“So he’s in the same boat as me? Ah, if he wouldn’t mind working here too, we could use the help!” Hanbei happily suggested. His face had a suspicious smile, and he clasped his hands in front of him like a little fly would.  

Hanbei’s work for Hideyoshi happened to be only a favor and not a paying job. His previous workplace had also found out about his extra work, and fired him for it. Hanbei assumed the person Mitsunari mentioned fit the same criteria as him; being a lesser-known author that had enough free time to do odd jobs.  

“Actually, he did seem to perk up when I told him about the open positions here.” Mitsunari pondered, he started to take up his usual pose that meant he was deep in thought; one hand under his chin with his head slightly tilted, but the pose was a little difficult to do with the two drinks he held. Mitsunari realized this right away, and he hurriedly handed Kiyomasa the steaming cup, and placed the can of soda near Masanori’s part of the table.

Hanbei waited for Mitsunari to seat himself before he exclaimed,

“That’s good!” He smiled contently, hoping to soon have a new coworker.

Filled with a sudden burst of energy, Hanbei stood and practically skipped as he walked over to grab his apron off its hook. He hummed a cheery tune as he tied the strings behind his back. Once Hanbei finished doing that, he reached in his pockets for a few hair pins, and used them to pin back his bangs. They weren’t particularly long, but the fringe tended to block parts of his vision if they fell into his eyes.  

“Am I allowed to meet him?” Hanbei asked absently, his hand was already on the door to the storefront.

He certainly was curious, especially about a fellow that Mitsunari had hand-picked. And if Hanbei didn’t meet him, he would be thinking about it the entire time he was working.

“Meet who?” Came a gruff voice, from the same doorway Hanbei had stood in nearly 20 minutes before.

Hanbei turned his attention to the sound, and his eyes were met with the sight of a burly man with shoulder-length brown hair. The man looked rugged at first, but then Hanbei caught the gentle glint in his eyes as he glanced over the room.

“I told you to call when you were on your way.” Mitsunari’s tone was slightly harsh, and he glared at the man. The latter shrugged,

“Sorry. I wanted to surprise you,” And then he let out the most comforting laugh Hanbei had ever heard.

Mitsunari only huffed in response, crossing his arms, and avoided eye contact.

“You should have just called.” He mumbled.

“Geh! Stop flirting.” Masanori called out, looking up from his phone with an expression of disgust. His soda can was already empty, and lay crushed next to his arm on the table.

Kiyomasa had just taken a sip from his coffee at that moment, and spat out the liquid, coughing. It sounded more like a laugh to Hanbei, however.

He didn’t miss the way Mitsunari’s face heated up as he suddenly turned to Masanori and snapped,

“We’re not flirting!”

 _Oh boy._ Knowing them, an argument was soon to follow. Before chaos could fully erupt, Hanbei exchanged a mutual glance with the stranger, before turning around and opening the door.

After a few moments of standing on the other side of it, he only wished that the thick door could drown out the sound of shouting.

Hanbei hurried to prop open the main doors, and then set about putting fresh baked goods and sandwiches inside the refrigerated display case. He barely got to turning on the coffee maker, before the previously silent hall erupted with sound, and exhausted workers were already starting to make their way towards the cafe’s entrance.

It didn’t actually seem to be that many, and the small amount was expected. The end of the week happened to be the busiest time, as deadlines needed to be met.

Even so, Hanbei still let out a sigh, hoping the rest of his day wasn’t nearly as tiring as it had been so far. He also really hoped to see Kanbei, because he definitely needed that interesting atmosphere, it would certainly help to improve his mood and provide motivation.

When a small line eventually formed, Hanbei’s face lit up, and he assumed his usual cheerful demeanor. Among the customers, he didn’t see Kanbei’s dreary face, but he mentally prayed that after each customer he served, Kanbei would be the one standing in line next.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this up on the 30th but some stuff came up, so I do apologize for the wait.
> 
> This time it's from Hanbei's point of view, and I think I captured his personality well enough. Also, I couldn't resist adding in Sakon.... 
> 
> SakoMitsu is amazing and I can't help if it happens...
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading~


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